Exercises

1.	What is the difference between an Approval Workflow template and the Collect Signatures workflow template?
2.	True or False: You can create a custom workflow in SharePoint Designer for use across all sites in a site collection.
3.	Explain the difference between a serial and parallel workflow process.
4.	What two lists are required on a site that has workflow enabled on a document library?
5.	Explain what happens when a change is requested during an approval workflow activity.

Answers

1.	Both the Approval Workflow template and Collect Signatures template generate decision-making processes that can potentially end in the approval of a specific document. However, the approval workflow tracks the acceptance or publishing of a document within the SharePoint site, whereas you can only launch the Collect Signatures workflow within a Microsoft Office application and you can only initiate it from a document containing a Signature Line element.
2.	False. When you use SharePoint Designer to create a custom workflow, you can only associate it with a single list or library, and you cannot add it to any central gallery or directory. To add a workflow to the central gallery, you must develop it using custom code and the .NET framework.
3.	A serial workflow is one that requires users to complete activities in a predefined order so that they can only give feedback one at a time. A parallel workflow allows feedback or participation from a number of users and has a more informal structure related to when each user can join in or participate.
4.	When you define a workflow process for a document library, you must associate a task list and a history list with the workflow. When configuring a workflow, you may select an existing task or history list or create completely new instances of each. The task list tracks the assignments related to the workflow process. The history list is a solid reporting tool for tracking progress related to a specific activity or document.
5.	When an approver requests a change in a document during the workflow process, the current task for approval is marked as complete. The change request then generates a new task, and the approver designates a new member to handle the request. This member can either be the workflow owner or a specific user. When the new member marks the change request as complete, SharePoint creates a new task so an approver can review and approve the latest version of the document.